Hey everybody, my name is Bret and I just moved to Kansas City from central Kansas. I have friends and family in the area, but was glad to find this page because while they share many interests with me, anime is not one of them! I started out watching as a kid with shows like Dragon Ball Z and Gundam, but really fell in love when I saw Escaflowne. I've just recently become an addict, so I've only probably seen 30-40 series. Some of my favorites are Escaflowne, Evangelion, Cowboy Bebop, anything by Key, and most Gundam series. I haven't seen a ton of new shows with trying to catch up on the semi-older ones, but I've liked some newer releases like Mirai Nikki and Another. I'll stop rambling now though, nice to meet you all!

Welcome to the board Bret. Your history with anime has you in a particularly advantageous spot I think. Whereas those starting off with anime relatively late in the game, I think it's a bigger leap to those familiar with current narrative and animation styles to the more rough-and-tumble style of prior years. Those that make the effort are rewarded with some daring storytelling and the inexplicable "flavor" of cel-era animation. I wouldn't put one era over another except to say that it's a shame when one is presumed superior to the other when clearly both have plenty to offer. Maybe by your estimate 30-40 series is low but you've got an great slice of who's who properties across a pretty wide time horizon. I'm glad you tracked us down and I look forward to your future posts. There's a category for nearly anything so post away!

There are better anime towns than KC, but there are sure as heck as worse, too. We've got our little late-summer con (Motaku), our medium-sized early spring con (Naka-Kon), and, if it succeeds, a winter yaoi con. Plus the Japan Festival sets up a nice fannish ghetto in the back of the building for us (although, sadly, if you're interested, you just missed it). Plus quite a few other cons close enough for a weekend trip - Nebraska, Iowa, Wichita, Oklahoma, St. Louis, a new one in Arkansas...

And a meetup group and, of course, us. If you haven't done so, you might peruse the "events" folder.

(Also, if you're a "mainstream" sci-fi fan as well, check out KaCSFFS.)

Like T3k said, that's a nice spread of shows you mention. Eva has been one of my top three favorites for years, and I'm a big Escaflowne booster too.